This week, all 10 MVFC teams are in action, including five games on Thursday, Aug. 29. Five teams host games (all vs. FCS schools) and five teams are on the road (all at FBS schools).

Full notes available as PDF (at right).

Welcome to the Show The Missouri Valley Football Conference welcomes two new head coaches to the league in 2013, as Bob Nielson (Western Illinois) and Mike Sanford (Indiana State) start their tenures with games this week.

What’s in Store This Week All 10 MVFC schools are in action in the opening week, with five games on Thursday, one on Friday, and four on Saturday. Five games are on the road (all at FBS opponents), and five games are at home (all against FCS schools). Last year, the MVFC recorded a 3-9 record against FBS programs, and an FCS-best 17-4 record against fellow FCS schools (see chart at left).

Tuning In Approximately 50 league games will air on a myriad of television networks during the 2013 season. The Conference will produce seven league games as part of its 2013 Game of the Week package, and more than 40 additional games will air in conjunction with MVFC institutional packages. Every game in Week One is on television.

Bison Picked No. 1 in League North Dakota State has been picked to win the Missouri Valley Football Conference crown in 2013. NDSU, the defending national champion, has won 28 of its past 30 games (going 14-1 each year). The Bison were a unanimous choice to repeat, earning 39 of a possible 39 first-place votes, in a poll conducted by league coaches, media and sports information directors.

Best vs. the Rest in 2012 The MVFC was a collective 17-4 against non-conference FCS teams last year.

Best in Show in 2012 Last year, the MVFC was the top rated conference in both the Sagarin and Gridiron Power Index ratings. North Dakota State held the best ranking of all FCS programs.

Against the Big Dogs In 2012, there were 10 FCS wins against FBS teams, and the MVFC had three of those 10 wins. In 2011, there were six FCS wins against FBS teams, and Missouri Valley Football had two of them. Notably, the MVFC was 2-8 in 2011 vs. the FBS (the league was 3-9 last year).

MVFC Against the BCS Youngstown State’s win against Pittsburgh on Sept. 1, 2012, marked the MVFC’s first against a member of the BIG EAST, and Valley Football members now have 10 wins against teams from the BCS leagues.

Against the FBS The MVFC has 33 wins against FBS schools since 1985, including at least one every year from 1996 through 2003. The league went 2-8 against the FBS in 2011, and the MVFC was 3-9 in 2012. The 3 FBS wins matches a league record (set in 1987).

Three Wins Against the FBS The MVFC’s three wins against the FBS in 2012 mark the first time since 1987 that the league has had three-such victories in the same season. The MVFC has now had multiple FBS wins in the same year 10 times.

NDSU - First With Three in a Row North Dakota State is the first team in league history to win a game against an FBS foe in three-straight years (Kansas-2010; Minnesota-2011; Colorado State-2012). The Bison open up at Kansas State on Friday.

Defending National Champs League member North Dakota State is the two-time defending national champion. The Bison defeated Sam Houston State, 39-13, in the FCS Title Game in Frisco, Texas, last January. It marks the fourth national championship for an MVFC member. Here’s what the league’s national champions have done in the year after claiming a national title.